This week's TT is all about the music. Below are 13 soundtracks that are in my CD collection.
1. Amelie- Along with the whimsical story, picturesque cinematography, and the striking beauty of Audrey Tatou, the music featured in this 2001 French film really stood out. Although many of the tracks were not composed specifically for the film, the music (largely accordion and piano driven) blends with the story perfectly.
2. Anatomy of A Murder- Back in the late 90s I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of this soundtrack to the 1959 film starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, George C. Scott, and Ben Gazzara. The jazzy soundtrack is performed by Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Ellington also has a cameo in the film (as "Pie-Eye", the owner of a roadhouse juke joint).
3. Claudine- This soundtrack to the 1974 film starring Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones features Gladys Knight & the Pips performing the songs of Curtis Mayfield. Arguably, both the artist and composer were at their best. Sadly, this soundtrack is out of print (the asking price on Amazon is about $70). If you do come across a reasonably priced copy, snatch it up... you won't be disappointed.
4. Clerks- The soundtrack to this 1994 indie film classic about a day in the life of two foul-mouthed register jockeys features music by bands such as Stabbing Westward, Bad Religion, and Soul Asylum. Along with the music, the soundtrack also includes sound clips from the movie.
5. Eddie and the Cruisers- I picked up this soundtrack to the 1983 cult film a couple of years ago at my company's annual tent sale. The producers of the film did a good job of finding a vocalist whose singing voice matched the speaking voice of the actor playing Eddie. Because of this, many people are still convinced that the vocals are sung by actor Michael Pare' (who plays Eddie in the film) even though it's been well documented that the music in the film is performed by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band.
6. Happy Feet- Although I have never seen this 2006 film, I did like the collection of songs and artists on the soundtrack. My favorite song on the soundtrack is the one below, a remake of the Stevie Wonder classic.
7. Jungle Fever- Speaking of Stevie Wonder, he performed the soundtrack to this 1991 Spike Lee film starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. With the exception of one tune, he also wrote all of the songs as well. Putting in guest appearances on the soundtrack are R&B singer Keith Washington and Boyz II Men.
8. Open Season- Although the soundtrack to this 2006 movie includes songs by a few other artists, it mostly features the music of Paul Westerberg. As the lead singer of The Replacements, Paul was responsible for some of the best post-punk anthems of the 1980s. If you ever thrashed around to songs like "Bastards of Young" and "Alex Chilton", did you ever (even in your most beer bong-induced state) think that Paul would contribute songs to an animated children's film?
9. Rocky- In addition to being included in the original film, the song below is also briefly featured in Rocky III. The latter film has a scene where Rocky is trying to teach Adrian how to sing it.
10. TCB- This is the soundtrack to the 1968 NBC special starring Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations. It features both groups doing show tunes, songs by other artists (such as The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and Dionne Warwick), as well as their own hits.
11. Touch of Evil- Composed by Henry Mancini, this soundtrack to the 1958 Orson Welles classic was one of the first to feature music that was predominately from the jazz and rock & roll fields. The way the music is used in the film is also unique in that it mainly comes from visual sources (playing from car radios, jukeboxes, from the pianola in the brothel, etc.).
12. Trouble Man- Marvin Gaye composed and produced this soundtrack to the 1972 film starring Robert Hooks, Paul Winfield, and Ralph Waite. Although it consists mainly of instrumentals, the soundtrack's highlight is the title track... one of my favorites by Marvin.
13. You're A Big Boy Now- The soundtrack to this 1966 Francis Ford Coppola film was composed by John Sebastian and features the work of his group, The Lovin' Spoonful. Along with a few instrumentals, the soundtrack also contains one of the group's last big hits (Darlin' Be Home Soon).
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13 comments:
It's very unusual to see you at #203: you're usually one of the first.
I love the music for Anatomy of a Murder!
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I have Eddie and the Cruisers on vinyl! That was a great one!
Nicholas: Yes, it was strange for me to be #203 this week. The topic I orig. planned to feature on my TT this week just didn't pan out. That, plus it being Thanksgiving week caused me to be later than normal.
When I found the lone copy of "Anatomy of A Murder" back when I did, I jumped all over it. Thinking about the music has me in the mood to watch the movie this weekend.
Mistress of the D: Wow, on vinyl! I wonder how much that would be worth these days.
It have some good ones here. "Happy Feet" was a good movie. I don't usually go for that type of fare; however a client's little brother insisted that I borrow his copy and watch. You know how I feel about the soundtrack for "Claudine". What I find strange is that you can get all the other Curtis Mayfield written and produced soundtracks at a reasonable price, even the obscure "Piece of the Action", which sells for about 20.00. Any how hope your Thanksgiving was good.
Happy Feet was a surprisingly good movie, Malcolm. I'd recommend it.
As for the soundtracks, good stuff here. I have some done by bands -- I might have had Eddie and the Cruisers, even -- but only one real instrumental -- the soundtrack to Mr. Holland's Opus, which was scored by Michael Kamen, a true musical visionary.
I'm gonna go with Eddie and the Cruisers, and Rocky...Can't go wrong with that right?
I just saw Happy Feet on HBO the other day. It's really cute and the music is very entertaining. I was surprised to hear Prince's "Kiss" b/c I thought he was really protective with his music. I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy the newer animated films.
Sure...LIKE you didn't see Happy Movie. You LOVES the children's movies! ;) It's a good flick. :)
"Trouble Man" . . . I need to see if the movie is still available for purchase because I've never seen it. But the song is also one of my favorite Marvin Gaye tunes. I still have my Dad's 45 of it somewhere (smile).
"To Be Invisible" from Claudine is one of those songs that never fails to bring tears to my eyes. So many of the messages in Mayfield's music go beyond profound, at least for me. It's a sin and a shame the soundtrack to Claudine isn't more readily availabe.
Sorry I am so late Malcolm. I would go with #2 for sure. Fantastic movie. Anything by Duke Ellington for me. Great list, Sorry your first choice didn't work out but I enjoyed this one.
Pjazzy: Thanks for the reminder about "A Piece of the Action". I need to add both the soundtrack and the DVD to my collection. I know I don't have to tell you, but for anyone who doesn't know... don't ever question Barbara's attention span!
Susan: "Happy Feet" sounds like a fun movie... maybe I'll give it a try. I have to see "Mr. Holland's Opus" again so I can pay closer attention to the score by Michael Kamen.
Nap Warden: No argument from me. I don't know about anyone else, but "Gonna Fly Now" never fails to pump me up.
Children With Hydro: Thanks for stopping by. I thought the same thing about Prince. Maybe he is protective and only allows his tunes in projects he finds worthwhile.
Haley-O: Almost everyone on this post has commented about how much they enjoyed "Happy Feet". I need to put this near or at the top of my "to watch" list.
Lori: You are right about the availability of the "Claudine" soundtrack. I just checked Amazon and the minimum price it is going for now has shot up to $84.50!!
Greatfullivin: No apologies necessary. James Stewart's performance in "Anatomy of A Murder" is my favorite of his. Duke Ellington is another artist whose work I should seek out more.
Wow! Whoever owns the rights to the Claudine soundtrack ought to just release it in order to stop some of this madness. 85.00 DAMN!!! Did I ever tell you I own a copy of "Gladys Knight and the Pips Lost Album"? It was recorded at what was then known as "Pine Knob" back in 1974, right around the time they released "Claudine" and they in fact sing "On and On".
What a great list, except I don't remember most of them. LOL- thanks for visiting my blog and hope you had a great turkey day! From your fellow Michigander.
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